Flag raising and lowering device



March 10, 1953 J. MADER FLAG RAISING AND LOWERING DEVICE Filed Sept. 14, 1951 25 In ven t r: Joseph Nader,

by His Attorneys.

Patented Mar. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES Claims.

My invention relates-to flags and flagpoles; and particularly to means for raising and loweringa flag on a flagpole.

The principal object of my invention is toprovide a means for raising a flag ona flagpole jand lowering the same from a point remote fromsaid pole. Another object is to provide in connection with a device of this character a compartment into which the flag will be automatically moved and hung in flat, unwrinkled condition when lowered, and which will serve to protect'the flag from the elements when not in use. Another object is to provide'a device of'this'character in which the flag is raised by gravitational action but is lowered by motor driven mechanism. Another object is to provide a device inwhich'the lowering device will automatically cease to function in the event the halyard or the pulleys with which it cooperates cease to function in their normal manner, due to entanglement crotherwise. of the novel type having the flag raising mechanism contained therein.

I accomplish these objects by means of the novel elements and the combinations and arrangements thereof described below and. illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation view of my device;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross section through the cap which is secured to the top of Fig. 4 is an end view of the compartment in p which the flag is suspended when lowered;

Fig. 5 is a section of Fig. 4 in the plane 5-5 with portions broken away;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the base of the flag compartment in the plane 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a wiring diagram of the motor which serves to lower the flag; and

Fig. 8 is a small scale elevation view of a clutch device which is adapted to slip in the event the halyard becomes tangled or otherwise fails to run freely through the pulleys with which it is associated.

Referring to the drawings- I is a hollow flagpole which is closed at the top by means of a cap 2 detachably secured to the pole by means of the set screw 3. Threaded into or otherwise secured to the interior top of the cap 2 is a hook or eye 4 to which one end of the halyard 5 is secured. The cap 2 has an opening 5 A further object is to provide a" flagpole 2 in one side thereof, and'a pulley 'l'is mounted in said opening. 8 represents generally a compartment adjacent the base of the flagpole in which the flag is suspendedwhen lowered. The compartment 8 may have a door Sin the front thereof which is hinged at It so that it may be swungopen to provide access to the interior of the compartment. The end of the compartment immediately adjacent the flagpole is provided with closure elements H and I2 which are preferably of flexible rubber or similar materiaL- At the top, above the closure elements II and [2, the compartment is open for a short distance, asshown. at l3; and mountedwithin the compartment but extending partly through the opening I3 is a pulley I4. A second pulley I5 is mountedin the compartment near the top thereof and has its top: substantially in horizontal alignment with the bottom of the pulley Hi. In the bottom of the compartment 8 is a halyard winding drum 1 6 rotatably mounted in bearings ll and I8 and which. may be driven in either direction by means of an electric motor l9 having a worm 20 on the shaft2l thereof co operating with the worm wheel 22 on the shaft of the winding drum.

I prefer to provide an adjustable, slippingconnection between the motor [9' and the winding drum l5 by interposing in the shaft 2 I, between the motor and the worm 2G, a clutch, such as shown in Fig. 8. This clutch has one member 23 afilxed to that portion of the shaft 2| which is adjacent the motor, and a member 24 aflixed to that portion of the shaft 2| which is adjacent the worm 25. This last mentioned portion of the shaft 2! is splined, as shown at 25, so that the member 24 can move axially thereon. The member 24 is provided with a groove 26 therein, and the upper end of element 21, which is preferably bifurcated, rides in said groove. The element 21 is pivoted at 2B and serves normally to force the member 2t into frictional engagement with the member 23 by means of the compression spring 29. The compression of this spring and hence the load under which the clutch will slip may be varied by means of the adjusting screw 30.

The halyard 5 having one end thereof secured to the cap at the top of the flagpole extends downwardly within the hollow pole in the form of the loop 3 l. Suspended in this loop is a weight 32 having a pulley 33 at the top thereof around which the halyard 5 runs. After passing around the pulley 33, the halyard extends upwardly within the pole and over the pulley I from which it extends downwardly, under the pulley l4, over the pulley i5, and then is attached to thehalyard winding drum Hi. It is understood of course, that the weight 32 is sufiicient to raise the fla 34 to the top of the pole by gravitational action provided there is no resistance to the unwinding of the halyard from the drum l5.

Referring to Fig. 7, 35 and 36 are power lines. 31 is the armature of the motor is which has two field windings 39 and 39'. The motor is energized by means of the switch 40 which may be placed anywhere remote from the flagpole. When the switch 40 is swung upwardly or in clockwise direction into contact with the terminal 4!, the motor will run in one direction, and, when the switch 49 is moved downwardly or counterclockwise into contact with the terminal 42, the motor will run in the opposite direction.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the flag is raised by gravitational action but is lowered by means of the electric motor. In the event that the halyard becomes entangled in any way so that resistance to the movement thereof results, the clutch shown in Fig. 8 will slip.

When the flag being lowered reaches the compartment 3, the pressure thereof against the flexible closure elements H and 12 will cause them to flex inwardly to allow the flag to pass into the compartment 8. Similarly, when the flag is raised, the closure elements H and I2 are flexed outwardly and allow the flag to pass out of the compartment 8.

While I have described my invention in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the words which I have used are words of description rather than of limitation and that changes, within the purview of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

1. A flag raising and lowering device comprising a hollow flagpole; a pulley adjacent the top thereof; a housing for said flag adjacent the base of said pole of a size adapted to contain said flag when hung in flat, unwrinkled condition vertically therein, and provided with an entrance for said flag; two spaced pulleys in said housing adjacent the top thereof; a reversible electric motor in said housing; a halyard winding drum driven by said motor; a halyard adapted to be attached to said flag having one end thereof secured to said pole adjacent the top thereof and the other end thereof secured to said drum; said halyard extending downwardly within said pole in the form of a loop depending between said one end and said first mentioned pulley and extending from said first mentioned pulley downwardly outside of said pole, around the pulleys in saidhousing to said drum; and a weight within said pole having a pulley at the upper end thereof suspending said weight from said loop for raising said flag by gravity.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 together with a clutch frictionally connecting said motor and said drum and adapted to slip in the event said halyard fails to run freely through said pulleys.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1 together with a clutch frictionally connecting said motor and said drum and adapted to slip in the event said halyard fails to run freely through said pulleys, and means for adjusting said clutch to slip under a predetermined load.

4. The structure set forth in claim 1 in which said housing is provided with a door normally closing the flag entrance thereto but adapted to be automatically opened by the pressure of said flag there against on either side thereof.

5. The structure set forth in claim 1 in which said housing is provided with a door comprising resilient sheet material normally closing the flag entrance to said housing but adapted to flex to open position by the pressure of said flag there against on either side thereof to allow said flag to pass through said entrance.

JOSEPH MADER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,377,219 Ellis May 29, 1945 2,440,500 Ellis Apr. 27, 1948 2,507,623 Diaz May 16, 1950 2,530,654 Ellis NOV. 21, 1950 

